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Apology over 'toxic culture' among surgeons

October 10, 2015: After a survey finds nearly half of all surgeons have experienced discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment, RACS President apologises for the 'devastating impact' on surgeons and trainees.

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Apology over 'toxic culture' among surgeons

October 10, 2015: After a survey finds nearly half of all surgeons have experienced discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment, RACS President apologises for the 'devastating impact' on surgeons and trainees.

With new statistics estimating 50 per cent of surgeons have been bullied by their peers and seniors, Vice President of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Graeme Campbell, said victims may start complaining more about perpetrators now that the issue is being discussed.

"I think there will be more reports," he said on Monday, as the College's expert advisory group published its final report on the problem.

After detailing cases of physical abuse in operating theatres and female trainees being propositioned for sex in return for tutoring, the final report recommended the College set up mentoring and coaching for surgeons that need to change their behaviour.

Commenting on this recommendation, Mr Campbell said surgeons who had been misbehaving should expect to get pulled up because bystanders were being encouraged to show leadership.

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"Bystanders have been silent for too long. We want people to be tapped on the shoulder. If it's done at a relatively early stage and it's just some bad jokes, we'd want it to be dealt with relatively informally in an educational way," he said, adding that many of the accused would likely be good people who need only education.

But Mr Campbell warned that serious offenders would be referred to the police, the Medical Board of Australia, or an equal opportunity commission. He said the College was continuing to run its complaints line that connects callers to a college counsellor, not a fellow surgeon. Former federal discrimination commissioner Susan Halliday has been appointed to independently review the College's management of complaints every six months.

The expert advisory group's damning report on discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment in surgery said the problems were rife in the profession. A survey of 3500 people found about half of surgeons, trainees and international graduates had suffered some form of abuse.

Women and people new to the profession bore the brunt of it - 54 per cent of surgical trainees said they had recently been bullied, compared with 31 per cent of surgeons with more than a decade of experience. Six out of 10 women said they had been bullied and three in 10 said they had been sexually harassed.

One woman told of how she would be considered for a job only if she had her "tubes tied". A man who stood up for his female colleagues said that he then been singled out for ill treatment, while other respondents spoke of being kicked under the table during operations. International graduates reported being ganged up on or threatened.

The expert advisory group, which was chaired by former Victorian health minister Rob Knowles AO, said hospitals, governments and others health sector organisations had to work on the problem. The College has committed to publishing an action plan in November.

"The College has shown courage and commitment in establishing the EAG (expert advisory group) and in accepting in full the findings and recommendations of the draft report," Mr Knowles said.